Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,14

armor of warriors.

Duff leaned forward and braced his arm on the rickety wooden table that sat between them. “And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

“Well, I was hoping you’d help me with that,” she said, wincing. “I need to know everything I can about the wood fae army, so that I can infiltrate it. That will get me close enough to the king for me to kill him.”

Duff shook his head, and so did the rest of them. “He’s harder to kill than you think. A simple blade won’t do it.”

“I have magic,” Reyna said. To demonstrate, she held up her hand and shot ice toward the hearth. The fire froze within an instant, flames of frost reaching up toward the ceiling like jagged fingers.

The red-haired female let out a low whistle. “That just might work.”

Reyna glanced at Duff. For some reason, it felt like he would be the one to make the call. He shook his head, chuckling to himself.

“This is madness, you know,” he said.

Reyna winced, thinking of the Ruin that pulsed inside her head. Sometimes, it made her think she was losing her mind. “Maybe it is, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work.”

Grinning, he leaned forward, the chair creaking beneath his weight. “You got a way to hide that silver hair?”

“Dye,” she said with a grin. “I can even make it look green for awhile.”

“Green will do.” Laughing, he threw up his hands. “You know what? I’m probably going to end up regretting this, but I’m in. I’m not only going to give you the information you need, but I’ll come with you, too. Gotta make sure you get inside the army’s camp. Let’s go kill a king.”

5

Reyna

They set off at dawn the next day. Purple-pink clouds scuttled across the eastern horizon, bathing the land in an otherworldly glow. She met the wood fae warriors on the steps outside the tavern where she’d spent the night tossing and turning on a bed of wheat. The Ruin’s voice had been loud, insistent, every time she’d slipped off to sleep. She’d blocked out its words, but she could still feel it deep inside of her.

It was getting excited.

Duff and two others stood waiting for her on the weathered stoop when she stepped out with her newly-dyed emerald hair. They all wore plain boiled armor and tossed Reyna an extra set, waiting for her to pull the snug, firm leather over her head.

“This is Fiona and Naal. They’ve volunteered to help,” Duff said, motioning to the red-haired female and the emerald-eyed male. “Then, we have a few others who have offered to crew the ship.”

Reyna arched a brow. “Ship? I thought we were going to trek across the Mistmoor Mountains.”

“Too dangerous,” Naal said, rubbing the green stubble on his chin. “And it would take us a month at best.”

“It’s far faster to sail,” Duff added with an almost imperceptible shiver. “I won’t pretend it doesn’t spook me, sitting on a wooden platform in the middle of all that saltwater, but it’s the best way to get us to Craobhan in time for it to make a difference.”

“You know I could just fly there,” Reyna said with a frown. “You don’t have to risk your lives like this. I can do this alone.”

“Not happening, princess,” Fiona said. “No one will question a merchant ship docking in Craobhan, but they will question a girl falling out of the sky.”

Swallowing down a lump in her throat, she glanced at each of the wood fae in turn. “And there’s that many of you willing to come along on this godforsaken quest?”

Naal clapped his hand on her shoulder, heavy and strong. “You’ve seen this place. We’re all so thankful that Lorcan invited us to live here, but we’re struggling to get by. The neighboring villages won’t trade with us, not knowing what we are. We’ve sent word to Tairngire, but our letters have gone ignored. If we kill the wood king, we can go home. We’ll get our lives back.”

Reyna swallowed as the weight of the quest settled on her shoulders like a dragon. If she did not do this, Lorcan would be lost. Findius would be lost. And the fae of Comharra would be lost. They were risking their own necks in order to give her a chance to slay their king. She could not fail them.

“Let’s go get your lives back then,” Reyna said with a nod.

They trekked through the village, down the winding path, and to the sea where